First Russian Antarctic Expedition

First Russian Antarctic Expedition (Russian: Первая русская антарктическая экспедиция) was a sea voyage made by Bellingshausen and Lazarev from 1819 to 1821 to the Southern Ocean to prove the hypothesis of a sixth continent — Antarctica.

Background

At 1774 James Cook during his second voyage had reached latitude 71°10′ South and solid pack ice didn't allow him to go further. Cook decided that Antarctica was completely inaccessible for any ship or did not exist.[1]

At 12 April [O.S. 31 of March] 1819 Krusenstern wrote a letter about necessity of polar seas researches to naval minister Marquis de Traversay.[2] At that letter Krusenstern proposed two expeditions with two ships at each, one to the North Pole and another to the South Pole. And he believed that expedition to the South Pole is most important: “This expedition, besides its main aim to explore South Pole countries, have to check all wrong information about southern half of Pacific Ocean and widen our knowledge about this to be a final voyage in that sea” (Russian: Сия экспедиция, кроме главной её цели — изведать страны Южного полюса, должна особенно иметь в предмете поверить все неверное в южной половине Великого океана и пополнить все находящиеся в оной недостатки, дабы она могла признана быть, так сказать, заключительным путешествием в сем море).[2]

Preparations

Krusenstern proposed to appoint second class captain Vasily Golovnin as expedition leader. But Golovnin was making his own round-the-world voyage at that time. So Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (captain of frigate at Black Sea) had been proposed instead of him. But ministry had appointed Makar Ratmanov as leader of first expedition. But Ratmanov on his way from Spain was shipwrecked near Skagen and staying in Copenhagen for treatment. And Bellingshausen became antarctic expedition leader.

There two sloops-of-war had been used at expedition, Mirny and Vostok. Mirny was built by project by Kolodkin (Russian: Колодкин) and Kurepanov (Курепанов), two Russian engineers. Mikhail Lazarev had strengthened Mirny for expedition and it showed its brilliant qualities.

Vostok was built by British engineers but it was not so good for the antarctic voyage as Mirny. Its hull was too weak for sailing in polar ices and was being fixed and strengthened several times during expedition. Due to the bad condition of Mirny, Bellingshausen decided to finish expedition and return home one month earlier.

Bellingshausen and Lazarev were complaining several times that two completely different vessels with different max speeds.[3]

Members

Bust of Bellingshausen
Bust of Lazarev
Busts of Bellingshausen and Lazarev in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Vostok sloop on coin
Vostok
Mirny sloop on coin
Mirny
Vostok and Mirny pictured on coins issued by Bank of Russia at 1994
USSR postal stamps (1950) dedicated to expedition
Vostok at Soviet postal stamp (1965)
A 150-year anniversary of expedition Soviet postal stamp (1970)

List of all First Russian Antarctic Expedition members:[4]

On Vostok sloop-of-war

On Mirny sloop-of-war

Sailing to South Ocean

16 July [O.S. 4 July] 1819 expedition leaved Kronstadt and 14 November [O.S. 2 November] 1819 arrived to Rio de Janeiro. From Rio they went to the south, then around south-west coast of South Georgia Island dicovered by James Cook. From this island expedition went to the east to the so-called Sandwich Land. But this land turned to be an archipelago and it was renamed to South Sandwich Islands. Some of islands of this archipelago discovered by First Russian Antarctic Expedition was named with expedition members names: Leskov Island after lieutenant Arkady Leskov, Zavodovski Island after lieutenant commander Ivan Zavadovsky and Torson Island after Konstantin Torson[6]. The group of these three island was named Traversay Islands, after naval minister Marquis de Traversay.

Exploration of Antarctic

First Russian Antarctic Expedition route

28 January [O.S. 16 January] 1820 expedition discovered Antarctica approached it at 69° 21' 28" South and 2° 14' 50" West[7] (now on Bellingshausen Ice Shelf near Princess Martha Coast). 2 February [O.S. 21 January] expedition members saw coastline at the second time, and 17–18 (5–6) February ships came closely to the coastal precipices of ice continent. Then during an Antarctic winter expedition went to Pacific Ocean and discover several new islands.

At January 1821 expedition rounded Antarctica at side of Western hemisphere and made several geographical discoveries. They discover Peter I Island (but couldn't land on it because of ices) and Alexander Island. After that expedition reached South Shetland Islands which was recently discovered by English captain William Smith and mapped it, then went to the north-east. Also First Russian Antarctic Expedition discovered Three Brothers Islands (now Espland and O'Brien), Rozhnov Island (now Gibbs Island), Mikhailov Island (now Cornwallis Island), Mordvinov Island (Elephant Island) and Shishkov Island (now Clarence Island). From South Shetland Islands expedition headed for Rio de Janeiro, and from Rio they traveled through Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

After a 751-days sea voyage, 5 August [O.S. 24 July] 1821 Vostok and Mirny returned to Kronstadt where Emperor Alexander I met it.

Results

Sixth continent (Antarctic) and 29 island were discovered and mapped. Expedition made an unique scientific collection (it is stored at Kazan University) and perfect pictures of Antarctic landscapes and animals.

References

  1. ↑ Кук, Джеймс (1948). Путешествие к Южному полюсу и вокруг света (in Russian). Москва: Государственное издательство географической литературы. p. 33.
  2. 1 2 ЦГАВМФ, Личный фонд И. И. Траверсе, дело 114, листы 6—21
  3. ↑ Беллинсгаузен, Фаддей Фаддеевич. Двукратные изыскания в Южном Ледовитом океане и плавание вокруг света в продолжение 1819, 20 и 21 годов, совершенные на шлюпах «Востоке» и «Мирном» (in Russian). I. p. 4. каждый морской офицер видел, какое должно быть неравенство [шлюпа „Мирного“] в ходу с шлюпом „Востоком“, следовательно, какое будет затруднение оставаться им в соединении и какая от сего долженствовала произойти медленность в плавании
  4. ↑ Беллинсгаузен, Фаддей Фаддеевич (1949). Двукратные изыскания в Южном Ледовитом океане и плавание вокруг света в продолжение 1819, 1820 и 1821 годов (in Russian) (Второе издание с сокращениями и изменениями ed.). Москва: Государственное издательство географической литературы.
  5. ↑ Смирнов, Александр (2015-06-17). "Мореплаватели-священники. Как иеромонахи совершали подвиги". spb.aif.ru (in Russian). Argumenty i Fakty. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  6. ↑ After Decembrist revolt in which Konstantin Torson took part, Torson Island was renamed to Visokoi Island
  7. ↑ Беллинсгаузен, Фаддей Фаддеевич. Двукратные изыскания в Южном Ледовитом океане и плавание вокруг света в продолжение 1819, 20 и 21 годов, совершенные на шлюпах «Востоке» и «Мирном» (in Russian).
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